More from NBA All-Star Game

By Lyle Crouse, Phil Green and Jason Yellin
ESPNET SportsZone

For the first time in the game's 47-year history, the All-Stars will wear their actual regular season game uniforms, similar to Saturday's Rookie Game.

The always continuing marketing of the NBA is in full effect when it comes to this decision.

"We want to make the players more recognizable for the international fans," said NBA representative Hilary Cassidy. "Even for our American fans we want people to see the players in their game uniforms."

As for whether or not this will be a regular occurrence, the league isn't sure yet.

"We are trying it for now," said Cassidy.

Then there's the intrigue as to what number a player will wear when more than one player wears a particular number in a conference. For instance, Charles Barkley has made a habit of wearing something other than his usual 34 for various reasons in his 11 all-star appearances.

This year, though, all players will wear their normal numbers -- regardless of duplication. For instance, both Scottie Pippen and Grant Hill will wear 33. Had Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning not gotten hurt, the Eastern Conference would actually have had four number 33's on Sunday.

Dressed for success?

Following his MVP performance at the Rookie Game, Iverson stomped around in his new black headband, army fatigues and light tan construction boots.

Iverson also sported a new tightly braided hair do for the weekend.

"I'm going to keep my hair like this, but I don't think I'll continue to wear the headband," he said after the Rookie Game.

Iverson said the reason for the change was simple: low maintenance.

"I was tired of getting haircuts on the road and people messing my hair up," he said. "Now I can get a girl to just braid it, and I'll be good for a couple weeks."

Rules changes?

"A lot of what we're seeing has to do with coaches who have gotten much better at teaching players how to play defense," NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik said. "If there's something done, it's probably not going to be very drastic."

Granik explained that a sub-committee will look into a variety of issues including, the 3-point line's placement, the rule on blocks and charges in the lane, the 10-second rule, and the width of the lane.

Some decision on what to change, if anything should be reached early this summer.

Looking ahead

Detroit plays at Miami on Tuesday night, so Collins might look to tire the Heat's All-Star representative.

"It's a chance to wear them down," said Collins jokingly. "I was thinking along the lines of Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning. Mourning's not playing, but I can still get Tim Hardaway 48 minutes if I try hard."

Reunion at Reunion Arena

"Hopefully he can do some different things with our team and try to get some players in there who are all about winning," Gatling said. "Hopefully he'll try to take the tradition we had at Golden State that year, when we had the Fab Five so to speak, with myself, Latrell (Sprewell), Billy Owens, Victor Alexander and Chris Webber. So, hopefully we can just get some players of the caliber of that sort and fine tune the whole organization."

As for Mavericks coach Jim Cleamons' future, Gatling thinks Nelson's presence doesn't pose a threat. Instead, Gatling believes it will help make Cleamons a better coach.

We need Charles

"Charles is the one that if you didn't feel like playing defense, you always checked Charles," Grant Hill said. "And as an offensive player, whoever Charles was checking, you would always score. Now that he's not out there, I don't know what we're going to do. We're in big trouble."

Seeing Red

Auerbach, who coached the Eastern Conference in the Rookie Game, wasn't pleased with an idea for the television coverage.

"They came over to me and they wanted to put microphones on some of the players," Auerbach said. "I said, 'No way.' I said, 'When you make a farce out of this game, I'm getting outta here.' They mean well with all the marketing, but to h--- with it. You want a good game and you want to play to win �- that's the way you gotta do it."

Chuck's pep talk

"He definitely gets a bad rap," Kerry Kittles said of his Eastern Conference teammate Allen Iverson after the Rookie Game.

"We were kidding before the game in the locker room with Charles Barkley," Kittles said, "and Charles said, 'The only reason everybody messes with you is because you're such a great player. If you sat on the bench and were the kind of person that you are, people wouldn't say anything about you.'

"It's true. The guy is such a great player, people want to hold him back and say bad things about him. But he respects the league, he respects the players and he goes out and competes as hard as anybody."

From the Meadowlands to Cleveland